Birth Control Mandate - Lawsuit

WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — Wheaton College, a top evangelical school outside Chicago, is joining a raft of lawsuits challenging the Obama administration mandate that most employers offer health insurance that covers birth control.

Last May, Roman Catholic dioceses, schools, charities and health care agencies filed a dozen federal lawsuits around the country, arguing the requirement violates religious freedom. Plaintiffs in those suits include the Catholic University of America and Notre Dame.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit law firm, is representing Wheaton. Becket says a total of 24 lawsuits have been filed challenging the mandate in the Affordable Care Act.

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Nebraska dismissed a lawsuit that was filed by seven states and several religious institutions and individuals. The judge said they had failed to show they would suffer immediate harm from the birth control mandate.